The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus performed their first CardioMEMS implant procedure to support the care of patients living with heart failure in hopes of keeping them out of the hospital.
The CardioMEMS HF System is a FDA-approved sensor device about the size of a paperclip that cardiologists implant through a catheter in the heart’s pulmonary artery. The sensor device remotely monitors pressure changes in the pulmonary artery (PA), an early indicator of the onset of worsening heart failure, and provides the physician with real time updates to allow for simple adjustments to care and medications, most often without requiring an appointment with the patient.
“We are incredibly excited to be expanding heart care services for our patients and our community,” said Dr. Edward Assi, Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director for Cardiology Services for The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus, who performed the first procedure. “This device helps us easily monitor the patient’s heart pressure and quickly modify medications before another hospital stay is needed. Many heart failure patients end up experiencing multiple stays in the hospital if their PA pressure is not properly monitored – our goal is to give them better quality of life, peace of mind and less time in the hospital.”
Once a day, the patient with the device passes a wand over his/her chest, which sends real time data on the heart’s pressure directly to the physician’s computer or hand-held device.
Heart failure is the result of persistent high blood pressure, a heart attack, other forms of cardiovascular or heart disease, or birth defects. Left untreated, the lack of adequate blood flow could cause the organs to fail, resulting in numerous medical complications that erode a person’s quality of life and often leads to death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 6.2 million adults in the United States suffer from heart failure.
“Congratulations to our dedicated team on this achievement and for continuing to expand heart care services to ensure our patients have the care they need close to home,” said Erik Cazares, Chief Executive Officer for The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus. “We are committed to providing high-quality heart care access to better serve the El Paso region.”
For the fourth year in a row, the Sierra Campus is proudly recognized as a HeartCARE Center of Excellence by the American College of Cardiology. Sierra is one of 42 hospitals in the country and the only hospital in El Paso and the surrounding area with this designation, which is the highest cardiology designation possible.
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